Skip a stone over water and you will discover you cannot control its destination. Some stones leap to the sky, others dance across the water, while others simply sink. My prayerful meditations are like these skipping stones. I never know where they will land, but I believe God is revealed in the process.

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What’s More, Part Two

The first message in the series, What’s More, looked to the story of the rich young man to introduce the difference between doing and receiving. The young man’s desire to know what good thing he must do and, then, to know what he was still lacking, provides Jesus with the opportunity to distinguish between the observance of the ethical principles of religion and the reception of the grace God extends through a life of discipleship with Jesus. The former enable an individual to do good, while the later blesses an individual to enter into life with God the Father through the Son.

The second message in the series furthers the emphasis upon the more available to us – true life with God the Father in the present through a life of discipleship with the Son for Jesus alone leads into life. The life received in Jesus will be fully realized in the future, but the disciple of Jesus can begin to experience the presence of God through the love of God made known by Jesus.

The Scripture lesson for this message follows upon the story of the rich young man, who walked away from Jesus in disappointment. Jesus uses this opportunity to teach his disciples about the challenge every human being will encounter: the impossibility of earning life. He specifies the primary obstacle for this rich young man – his wealth. Jesus declares it will be hard for the rich to enter into life; but, then, he moves from the difficultly to the impossibility. He declares, “It would be easier for a camel to pass through an eye of a needle.”

Assuming Jesus is condemning the wealthy would be an easy interpretation of this text; after all, Jesus comes down pretty hard on the rich. The challenge confronting this young man, and others of comparable wealth, emphasize the difficulty everyone will encounter. The rich were believed to be favored by God. Their great wealth was interpreted to be an expression of the abundant favor God had shown to them. If these individuals, who were believed to be favored by God, could not earn through their deeds entrance into life, then who could?

The disciples’ response echoes this point, “Who then can be saved?” — salvation should be understood to mean entrance into the eternal presence of the Lord Almighty.

If the people believed to be favored by God (the rich) could not earn their salvation, then what hope is there for anyone else to enter into life?

Once more a distinction between doing and receiving is brought forth. Jesus declares that while the achievement of salvation may be impossible for man, all things are possible for God.

Once more, entrance into life is not only a future reality, it is a present opportunity! No one can earn this gift. Life with God is made possible for all, because God makes it possible.

How, then, do we discover what’s more for us? Jesus extends the same offer to each of us that he extended to the rich young man: loose the grip upon the things of this world obstructing your relationship with God and, then, go with him…Follow him who leads into life.

Finally, the challenge is revealed – the difficulty the rich young man encounters, which exemplifies the difficulty to be encountered by anyone who possesses an abundance and, to a delicate degree, the difficulty everyone will experience when they choose to follow Jesus. There is a cost. God freely offers the blessing of eternal life through Jesus Christ, but the reception of this gift requires you to release a grip on the things tethering you to this world. Walking towards Jesus requires you to walk away from something else…